This is an extract from an op-ed co-authored by Social Change Lab's Cathy Rogers, alongside Saul Levin (Center for Nonviolent Conflict Research) and Philip Eubanks (Climate Emergency Fund), first published in Waging Nonviolence on 23 July 2026.
Earlier this year, Gallup asked a national sample of Americans whether they would support an AI data center being built in their local area. Seventy-one percent opposed it, 48 percent of them strongly. Opposition to living near a nuclear power plant was markedly lower, at 53 percent. Republicans, Democrats and independents all rejected data centers. Asked why, respondents most often pointed to environmental concerns: water, energy, land use, noise and air pollution — and the lack of community consent.
At Social Change Lab we recently ran a randomized controlled trial with 3,467 participants to answer a question the AI accountability movement has been wrestling with: Which of AI’s many harms actually move people from concern to action? We tested 11 different arguments, from environmental effects to job losses and the harms of algorithmic bias; from AI enabling more pervasive surveillance to the risk of superintelligent AI leading to human extinction.
It's been a busy few months at Social Change Lab, with new research launching across protest rights and climate, a brand new website, and a chance to join our team. Here's what we've been up to.
Come work with us: applications close this Sunday
We're hiring a Research & Outreach Officer and the deadline is fast approaching (this Sunday, 19 July). If you care about understanding what makes social movements effective and want to help turn rigorous research into real-world impact, we'd love to hear from you. Full details and how to apply are on our careers page. Please do share it with anyone you think might be a good fit.
When Mette Frederiksen won a third term as Denmark's prime minister in March, her new government committed to something remarkable: structural reform of the country's most iconic industry: pig farming. Pork and pig farming are a huge issue in Denmark - everyone has heard of Danish bacon. Denmark rears around 30 million pigs a year, most of them destined for export, using particularly intensive farming practices. So this was a big ask for campaigners. But they succeeded in making this election 'the pig election', drawing mass public attention to the issue of pig welfare. The outcome went beyond campaigners’ demands: deadlines to end tail docking (2030) and extreme breeding (2035), plus commitments to shrink pig production, curb piglet exports and a systemic shift in farming towards organic and regenerative models.
I spoke recently to Britta Riis, director of Animal Protection Denmark (APD), about how it happened - and what aspects of the campaign could be exploited by animal campaigners elsewhere.
I’m excited to share that Social Change Lab is looking for a Research & Outreach Officer to join the team. The role involves working with our two Directors of Research to design and deliver rigorous studies on the effectiveness of social movements, while also getting those findings into the hands of activists, funders and journalists who can act on them.
For those new to Social Change Lab, we study social movements to understand their impact and help them be more effective. We focus on movements working on climate and the environment, animal & vegan advocacy, and AI safety. Our research has been featured in the New York Times, the Guardian and the BBC, and campaigners and funders use it to decide where to focus their efforts.
The details: Salary: £37,000–£42,000 FTE (preference for 0.8 FTE) Location: Remote (strong UK preference) Contract: two-year fixed-term, with potential for extension subject to funding Deadline: 19 July 2026
Apply here, or if you know someone who might be a good fit, please do share this with them!
Thanks and all the very best, Sam Nadel, Executive Director, Social Change Lab
